For the second year in a row, Lambda Literary is pleased to announce an open call for interested parties to apply for a seat on our board of directors. Last year, this open call resulted in bringing Amy Scholder onto our board.

Our search is not limited to people in the publishing world. In fact, as you’re thinking about whether you or someone in your network might be a good board member, consider what we are looking for:

Skills: We need to round out our board skills in many areas, including Legal, Audit, Finance, Corporate Fundraising, Grant Writing, and Major Gifts.

Diversity: We would like for our board to better reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve in areas such as sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, geographic location, etc.

Basic Criteria: The board is primarily responsible for fundraising and governance. Each board member must have the ability to fulfill Board Member Expectations, including the $3,000 Give/Get (information about Expectations and Give/Get are available in our Board Member Application Packet).

Additional Criteria: The ability to promote a collaborative, team environment that is focused on the mission of Lambda Literary above all else is also very important

So, if you-or someone you know-has what it takes to be on the Lambda Literary Board, I invite you to fill out the application and submit it to info@LambdaLiterary.org by midnight PT on Tuesday, September 30, 2014.

S. Chris Shirley is President of the Board of Lambda Literary. He's an award-winning writer/director and global head of internal communications at McGraw Hill Financial. His debut novel, 'Playing by the Book,' was published by Magnus Books in June 2014 and selected as one of ten great LGBT summer reads by The Advocate. He is represented by Sterling Lord Literistic. Chris directed ”What’s Your Name,” a music video that aired nationally and made the annual MTV-Logo Top 10. His short film, “Plus,” played at film festivals internationally. Chris received his Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and later completed his MBA at Columbia University, where he served as class president.